Ionizing structure for ambient air treatment

ABSTRACT

An ionizing structure for ambient air treatment wherein the structure, optionally having ceiling-mounting provisions, incorporates an ionizing element forwardly directed in the direction of airflow through the structure, an electrical power supply coupled to the ionizing element for applying thereto a stepped-up, negative, direct-current voltage of the order of several thousand volts, and a buffer, in effect, in the form of electrical circuit means, e. g. a filter, operatively interposed between the power supply and the blower for preventing feedback of eddy-voltage spikes, transients and the like as may be generated in the power supply to the operative parts of the blower, thus preventing damage to the blower.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a structure or unit for treatingambient air and, more particularly, provides a unique ionizingstructure, constructed for the treatment of ambient air, wherein the airconditioning is maximized, and is performed in such a manner that, inaddition to producing negative-air-constituent ions, any dust, lint, andother particles will also simply be electrostatically chargednegatively, so as to drop out of the air and fall to the floor of aroom, for example, in which the structure is placed. A ceiling mount isprovided to accommodate ceiling suspension of the unit, where desired.Most importantly, the structure contains an ionizing element, a voltagestep-up power supply for applying a negative voltage of several thousandvolts to the ionizing element, and a blower or fan for directing forcedair over, in proximity with, and forwardly beyond the ionizing element,whereby to produce in the air stream ionized air constituents. A bufferstage, preferably in the form of an eddy-voltage filter, is operativelyinterposed between the power supply and the operative parts of theblower, whereby to prevent unwanted eddy-voltage spikes as may begenerated in the power supply from feeding back to the operative partsof the blower. In a preferred form of the invention, such spikes cansimply be filtered and grounded-out at the blower frame.

2. Description of Prior Art

The present invention presents an improvement over the inventor's priorU.S. Pat. No. 5,707,429, issued Jan. 13, 1998, which is fullyincorporated herein by way of reference and is hereinafter referred toas “patent '429.” Also made of record is the inventor's U.S. Pat. No.5,435,837, issued Jul 25, 1995, likewise fully incorporated herein byway of reference. Tangential to certain aspects of the invention iscertain other U.S. patent literature as follows: Reissue 34,346; U.S.Pat. Nos. 2,279,586; 3,046,716; 3,624,448; 3,768,258; 3,900,766;3,915,672; 4,339,782; 4,713,093; 4,955,991; 5,474,600; and 5,484,472.

Of special relevance is the inventor's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,429.Optimal operation of the inventor's ionizing structure has been found tooccur when the power supply, supplied by general line power, 120-140volts (AC), delivers to the ionizing element a stepped-up negativevoltage of several thousand volts, generally of the order of 12.7 Kvolts (DC). Because of this requirement, there may be inadvertentlygenerated at or proximate the power supply and ionizing elementeddy-voltage spikes which in magnitude can exceed 62 K volts, which areapt to be fed back to the blower; such spikes can damage the operativeparts of the blower, i.e. the armature and field windings of the blowermotor. What the present invention addresses is the obviation of thishazard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, an ionizing structure for ambient airtreatment includes a housing provided with an alternating-currentvoltage power input connection and having rearward inflow and forwardoutflow air vents; a blower having a frame and mounted in the housingand operatively positioned essentially between the inflow and outflowvents; an ionizing element mounted within the housing forward of theblower and proximate the outflow vents; and an electrical circuitstructure coupled to and between the power input connection, blower, andionizing element, whereby to supply magnitude-elevated, negative,direct-current voltage of the order of several thousand volts to theionizing element, rated electrical power to the blower, and also toessentially block eddy-voltage spikes, transients and the like as may begenerated with the electrical circuit from feeding back to the blowerwhich might otherwise damage the blower. The blocking function may beperformed by an eddy-voltage filter interposed between the power supplyof the electrical circuit and the blower. Where the blower or fan has anelectrically conductive frame, the filter can simply be coupled to theframe, for essentially grounding-out voltage spikes by serving as anenergy-spike sink. The unit of the invention may have a housingcomprised of upper and lower shells, the upper shell being provided witha bracket and riser structure accommodating a ceiling mount of the unit,as in a hospital where patients are to be deterred from manuallymanipulating the unit.

Broadly, the ionizing structure herein includes: an AC to DC powersupply having an output providing a stepped-up negative voltage; anambient-air ionizing element coupled to the output; a blower disposedrearwardly of the ionizing element for blowing ambient air forwardlyover the ionizing element; and an AC eddy-voltage-spike blocking deviceoperatively interposed between the power supply and the blower, wherebyto protect the blower from eddy-voltage-spike damage.

As to the customary terms used herein: “K” means 1000, “AC” meansalternating current, “DC” means direct current, L/C refers toinductance/capacitance, and rated power and line voltage refer tocustomary home or office AC input power at, e.g., 120-140 volts.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an ionizingdevice for treating ambient air and its constituents, wherein the bloweror fan of the device is protected from high voltage transients,eddy-voltage spikes and the like.

A further object is to provide an ionizing device having a step-up powersupply for generating an output of negative several thousand volts, anionizing element coupled thereto, and a blower for directing ambient airover the ionizing element, wherein the operative parts of the blower areprotected from transients, eddy-voltage spikes and the like, as mayinadvertently be generated at or proximate the power supply, that mightotherwise cause damage and hazard relative to such blower.

An additional object is to provide an ionizing device with structuresuitable for mounting to a ceiling of a room, hospital area, and soforth, where occupant handling of the device is to be discouraged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention may best be understood by reference to thefollowing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an improved ionizing structure orunit, constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front perspective view of a bracket, forsecurement to the unit of FIG. 1 as shown, whereby to accommodate theunit for spaced mounting to the ceiling of a room or hallway, forexample;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation assembly view of the unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the unit with the upper housingshell removed;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectioned view of the unit of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail, taken along the arcuate line7—7 in FIG. 3, of an edge portion of the unit's housing, showing themanner in which the edges of the upper and lower shells of the housingfit together, by way of example,

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial cross section taken along line 8—8 of FIG.4 rotated 90 degrees and having an airflow grill, typical for both frontand back grill portions of the unit;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectioned detail, looking down, of the fanmounting within the housing of the unit, and is taken along the long 9—9in FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an inverted perspective view of a holder mounted within thehousing for mounting the ionizing element;

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of the basic concept of theelectrical circuitry of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram, in greater detail, of the electrical circuitemployed by the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIGS. 1-8 ionizing structure or unit 10 includes housing 11 providedwith upper housing shell 12 and lower housing shell 13. Lower housingshell 13 includes base pads 14 as indicated.

The two shells are secured together by a series of suitable elongatedscrews “S” which cooperate with the aligned screw receiving bosses 15representative ones of which are seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. The screw heads,not shown, may be covered by removable base pads 14, as shown in FIG. 3.It is also seen that, mounted to the lower housing shell 13 are fuseunit 16 and on-off power switch 17 (with light 17A, FIG. 12), which maybe of conventional manufacture. A power cord 18 having socket plug PL islikewise provided.

It is noted that the two housing shells can be made to overlap, see FIG.7, as by the provision of a peripheral shoulder 19 which fits inperipheral grooves 20. These will relate, of course, to the peripheralside walls 21′ and 22′ of the upper and lower housing shells 12 and 13.

FIGS. 5 and 8 illustrate that the upper housing shell 12, and lowershell 13 as well, may be provided with a flange-formed pocket 21 intowhich is seated the rear flange 22 of blower 23 and the rear air-inflowfilter grill unit 24. The rear filter grill unit 24, see FIG. 8, maytake the form of an interior filter 25 having a perforate inner basesupport 26 and also outer grill member 27. Base support 26 may include aperipheral base flange 26A having overlapping lips at 28 to receive theoutermost grill member 27. Referring to FIG. 5, the forward and rearwardfilter-grill units 24A and 24 may be identical, see FIG. 8, and also bemounted in similar fashion and with similar provision, both forward andrearward relative to the housing. In all cases, the filter-grill unitshave and therefore provide rearward air inflow vents 29 and also theforward air outflow vents 30, proximate and the rear and front of theblower of the unit, respectively.

An ionizing element 42 can be mounted to and within the housing, infront of the blower, in any one of several ways. One means, as explainedin patent '429, is for the lower housing shell to be provided with anupstanding cylindrical riser 31 over which a cover mount 32, designed tomount the ionizing element, is secured. The cover mount 32 is providedwith a top 33 and opposite sides 34 and 35. A partition 36 is provided,together with rear and forward cylindrical sectors 37 and 38, designedto receive the inner bore surface of the riser 31. A rear surface 39 incombination with cavity 40 is designed to receive the head of theionizing element. A side slot is also provided to receive a lead thatattaches to the ionizing needle or element 42, as shown in FIG. 6. Allof the above is fully explained in referenced patent '429. The ionizingelement 42 is provided with a needle portion 43 and a head 44, see FIG.12, integral therewith and fitting into cavity 40. FIG. 5 illustratesthe positioning of the cover mount just prior to positioning the sameover riser 31, and FIG. 6 shows the cover mount 32 positioned in placeand containing the ionizing element 42 in operative position. All of theabove is fully explained in the referenced patent '429.

In certain environments such as hospitals, recreational areas, and soforth, it may be desirous for the ionizing unit to be attached to andsuspended from a ceiling structure. For this purpose a bracket 45 isoptionally provided, see FIGS. 1 and 2, the same having a mounting plate46, provided with mounting apertures 47 and 48, and also a tubularelement 49, having attachment apertures 49A, secured thereto as bywelding. The bracket is secured to the upper housing shell 12 by, e.g.,screws 50, 51. A set screw or pin at 52, secures a post 53, dependingfrom a ceiling, with the post being provided with one or moreaccommodating apertures. In this way, the unit can be suspended out ofthe reach of occupants of the building so as to meet safetyconsiderations, and so forth.

Special attention is now directed to the electrical circuit employedwhereby to protect the blower or fan of the system/device, see inparticular FIGS. 11 and 12.

The basic electrical circuit in generic, block diagram form is seen inFIG. 11. In this Figure input line power, at a customary voltage of120-140 V (AC) is fed to power supply 54 and also to the blower or fan,hereinafter simply referred to as blower 23. The latter has operativeparts 23A such as a rotating fan element, armature and field windings,etc. The blower is or may be a standard off-the-shelf unit. The completecircuit is illustrated in FIG. 12 wherein power supply 54 includes,electrically coupled together as indicated, a step-up transformer 55, arectifier and filter unit (standard) 56, with, e. g., a resister 57interposed in the output as an isolation or current-limiting element. Anoscillator 58, such as a standard relaxation oscillator, is coupled tothe input side of the transformer. The combination of oscillator 58, thetransformer 55, rectifier and filter 56 and resistor 57 comprise a powersupply, designed to be capable of generating a negative high-voltageoutput of several thousand volts, e.g., −12.7 K volts. This can besteady state or include a slightly undulating or ripple output, asdesired. A high-voltage (spike) blocking device or filter 65, interposedbetween the oscillator 58 and blower or fan 23, as shown, preventstransients, high-voltage (HV) eddy spikes, as may be inadvertentlygenerated in or appearing at the power supply, from feeding back to theblower or fan and damage or create a hazard to the operative parts ofthe blower, i.e. revolving fan element, armature and field windings ofthe fan motor, etc. One effective way to accomplish this isolation ofthe blower 23 from the power supply oscillator 58 is to have the filterground at 63 electrically tied or coupled, e.g. by lead 59, directly tothe frame 23B of the blower, where the latter is metallic and thuselectrically conductive. The frame, when so connected to the oscillator58, will serve as an eddy-voltage spike-energy sink, whereby todissipate transient energies in the frame, that of course will beelectrically isolated from the operative parts thereof. Filter 65 itselfand standing along, may be a customary L/C filter, a voltage clippingand smoothing micro-circuit, etc., all of standard design, by way ofexample. The power supply 54 and eddy filter 65 can be encapsulated orpotted as a single unit 60, shown as a darkened rectangle in FIG. 12 andas a block-like unit in FIGS. 5 and 6. This contributes to ease ofassembly and connection. Unit 60 may have output terminals or projectingleads 61 (white or common), hot-wire 62 (black), ground 63 for fan frame(green), and ionizing-element negative-high-voltage terminal 64 (red).

What results is the provision of an electrical circuit, and components,wherein the fan or blower unit is protected from high-magnitude eddyvoltage spikes, transients and the like, as may be generated or appearat the power supply and ionizing element circuit, from being fed back tothe operative parts of the blower or fan, and damage the same or createa potential hazard.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from theessential features of the invention and, therefore, the aim in theappended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications and fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ionizing structure for ambient air treatmentincluding; a housing provided with an alternating-current voltage powerinput connection and having inflow and outflow air vents, a blowerhaving a frame and mounted in said housing and operatively positionedbetween said inflow and outflow vents, an ionizing element mountedwithin said housing intermediate said blower and said outflow vent, anelectrical circuit coupled to and between said power input connection,said blower and said ionizing element, said electrical circuit includinga power supply coupled to said input connection and having means forgenerating a negative direct-current voltage of an order of negativeseveral thousand volts to be applied to said ionizing element, saidelectrical circuit including high voltage spikes blocking means forblocking eddy-voltage spikes and transients generated within saidelectrical circuit from feeding back to said blower and said highvoltage spikes blocking means including an eddy-voltage filter coupledbetween said power supply and said frame of said blower, whereby toprotect said blower from eddy-voltage-spike damage.
 2. The ionizingstructure of claim 1 wherein said power supply includes an oscillator,step-up transformer means coupled to said oscillator, and arectifier-filter unit coupled to and between said step-up transformermeans and said ionizing element.
 3. The ionizing structure of claim 1wherein said housing has upper and lower shells mutually fitted andsecured together, said upper shell being provided with a support brackethaving a riser, whereby to provide for spaced ceiling-mounting of theionizing structure.
 4. An ionizing structure for ambient air treatmentincluding; a housing provided with an alternating-current voltage powerinput connection and having inflow and outflow air vents, a blowerhaving a frame and mounted in said housing and operatively positionedbetween said inflow and outflow vents, an ionizing element mountedwithin said housing intermediate said blower and said outflow vent, anelectrical circuit coupled to and between said power input connection,said blower, and said ionizing element, said frame of said blower beingmetallic and electrically conductive, said electrical circuit includinga power supply coupled to said input connection and having means forgenerating a negative direct-current voltage of the order of minusseveral thousand volts to be applied to said ionizing element, saidelectrical circuit including high voltage spikes blocking means forblocking eddy-voltage spikes, and transients generated within saidelectrical circuit from feeding back to said blower to prevent damage tosaid blower, and said high voltage spikes blocking means including aneddy-voltage filter electrically intercoupled between said power supplyand said frame of said blower, whereby to protect said blower fromeddy-voltage-spike damage with said frame thereby serving as anenergy-dissipating sink as to eddy-voltage-spike energies present. 5.The ionizing structure of claim 4 wherein said power supply includes anoscillator, step-up transformer means coupled to said oscillator, and arectifier-filter unit coupled to and between said step-up transformermeans and said ionizing element.